This blog post was originally submitted to the Guelph Mercury as an opinion piece in the lead up to the provincial election. It was printed in the paper on May 22, 2014.
Written by Lisa Needham, a public health nutritionist with the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health unit. The last four years of her work have focused in the area of food security. Needham is a member of the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, and chair of the Food Access Working Group.

Imagine not having enough food to pack a lunch for a child to take to school? What do you think you would you do in this situation?

We know in some of these cases, parents choose not to send their child to school when faced with this decision. I would challenge you to think about all of the reasons why these parents may have responded in this way.

The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” Food insecurity is when you experience uncertain and insufficient access to food. Food insecurity and income are closely linked.

In Guelph and Wellington County, one in five households with incomes below $40,000 is food insecure. Food banks across our region have all experienced significant increases in the number of clients over the last few years. According to data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 7.4 per cent of households in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph experience some form of food insecurity.

There are many negative health outcomes associated with being food insecure. For example, it can lead to an increased risk for nutrient inadequacies, adverse pregnancy outcomes, chronic diseases, depression and distress, poor academic performance, or impaired development of social skills.

In 2013, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health estimated it would cost a family of four $195 per week to eat healthy. Since 2009, there has been a 16.7 per cent increase in the cost of food.

Although the increasing food costs appear to be a concerning factor, if we compare income case scenario, we quickly see that inadequate income is a major root issue. After paying for housing and other basic living expenses, many individuals and families with a limited income do not have enough money left over to purchase nutritious food on a consistent basis.

For example, a family of four with a median Ontario income spends 17 per cent of its income on rent, 11 per cent on food and has $4,910 left over to cover other monthly expenses. Compared to the median Ontario family of four, a family of four living on Ontario Works may spend more than three times the amount of their income on rent and food. They are estimated to spend about 55 per cent of their income on rent and would need to spend about 37 per cent of their income to purchase healthy food.

A single person on Ontario Works is in the most difficult situation, receiving a total of $626 per month. After paying rent, they would likely require an extra quarter of their income just to afford healthy food, let alone pay for other basic living expenses.

Then there are those who struggle to make ends meet without being on assistance. People working full time at a minimum wage job earning $1,777 per month would need to spend 29 per cent of their income in order to purchase healthy food for their family of four, with 43 per cent of their income going to housing.

Martha Inglis, a mother of five, is a Community Voices member and Advance Your Voice speaker who lives on a limited income. “I’m often left with the choice of paying for rent and hydro or buying food. And when my hydro’s about to get cut off, I have to choose that over food,” she says.

Why has the province been unable to ensure that everyone has access to healthy food?

In our region, we have about 35 emergency food providers trying to provide food assistance to those who need it, but their efforts cannot offset system that allows for inadequate incomes.

There is a clear relationship between income and health. Children and families who have adequate and sustainable levels of financial resources have the increased capacity to live a healthier quality of life. Statistics Canada reported that Canadians with low incomes were more likely than those with higher incomes to be heavy users of physician services, visit emergency departments, be admitted to hospital, take multiple medications, and require home-care services.

Research shows our opportunity for health starts long before medical care is needed. As a long-term investment, eliminating poverty saves us money and benefits us all.

I urge you to ask your provincial candidates what they will do to alleviate the very real problem of food insecurity in our community.

Will they support a guaranteed annual income for all, so everyone has enough money to maintain a basic standard of living, including access to healthy food and a fair chance at good health?

Will they increase the minimum wage at six-month intervals until it reaches a living wage?

Will they introduce a housing benefit so no one has to spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, leaving them to make the choice between paying for housing and paying for food?

On June 12, vote for a poverty-free Ontario.